My thoughts on the cause of the rip are that it is caused by hitting potholes. My impression is that most of the cars with the rip are located where the roads are poor. Hitting a pothole with only one front wheel, versus normal driving where both front struts deflect on varying road surfaces, might help cause the problem... and I'd think more potholes are hit on the passenger's side than driver's side (seems like that's true for cones in track exercises). Plus, that side has the big hole in the web...
Chris